The present invention relates to a brake mechanism for an automatic washer and more particularly to a band brake for retarding motion of the wash basket.
In conventional vertical-axis automatic washers, there is a central agitator which oscillates during the wash portion of the cycle within a wash basket holding the materials to be washed, the wash basket being held in a fixed position relative to the washer cabinet by a brake. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,216,227 discloses a direct drive motor that drives an agitator by means of the motor shaft and drives the basket by means of a coupling between the motor housing and the basket. The basket is locked by a brake mechanism comprising a brake shoe controlled by a spring and a solenoid to selectively cause the shoe to engage a drum connected to the rotating wash basket so that the basket will be locked during agitation.
Band brakes are also utilized to provide the braking function in which one of the ends of the band is held in a fixed position and the other end is controlled by a spring and solenoid to selectively tighten or loosen the band to effect braking. A disadvantage of this type of brake arrangement is that the brake is capable of effective braking in only one direction of rotation. The brake drum can slip in the opposite direction even though the brake may be "on".